‘Internet connectivity in govt schools at 24.2% in 2021-22’

Internet connectivity in government schools in India improved from 5.5 per cent in 2017-18 to 24.2 per cent in 2021-22, with Bihar, Mizoram, Odisha and Telangana being the only states with fewer than 10 per cent government schools having Internet connectivity.

The information was shared by Union Minister of State for Education

Annapurna Devi in a written reply to a question asked by the BJP’s Dhananjay Bhimrao Mahadik in the Rajya Sabha.

According to the Union Ministry of Education, apart from the Union Territories — Puducherry and Chandigarh, which recorded 100 per cent Internet connectivity in government schools — Delhi is the only state in the list.

Other states with high Internet penetration in government schools are Kerala (94.6 per cent) and Gujarat (94.2 per cent).

Rajasthan is the only other state where more than 50 per cent of government schools have Internet connectivity.

The lowest in the rung are Bihar (5.9 per cent), Mizoram (6 per cent), Odisha (8.1 per cent) and Telangana (9.2 per cent) — the only states with fewer than 10 per cent of government schools having Internet connectivity.

The Centre has released Rs 2,443.02 crore for the ICT component in the last five years, she said.